Container-top.



J. B. WILLIAMSON & A. V. OLDHAM.

CONTAINER TOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1909.

950,064. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

3140424445010 Qwi Mwoam J WL' Z7 m 1220022 UTED STATES PATENT JOHN BAKER WILLIAMSON AND ALFRED VIOLET OLDI-IAM, 0F LOUISVILLE,

' KENTUCKY.

CONTAINER-TOP.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed May 13, 1909. Serial No. 495,745.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN B. WILLIAM- SON and ALFRED V. OLDHAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J efferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Container-Tops; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in tops for powder or condiment containers.

One object of the invention is to provide a perforated top of this character having an improved construction and arrangement of valve for opening and closing the 'perforations in the cover.

Another object is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for holding the valve in place and in its open or closed positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a container top constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is an irregular cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with the valve in open position; Fig. 4 is a similar view with the valve in closed position; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the valve removed from the to Fig. 6 is a detail view of the valve ho ding spring.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes a cover which may be of any suitable shape and is here shown as being of circular form and having around its outer edge a depending container engaging flange 2 whereby the cover is held in engagement with the upper end of the box or container. The top is preferably curved or rounded and is provided with a plurality of perforations 3 through which the contents of the box or container is shaken. In the top is also formed a centrally disposed guide slot, 4, the purpose of which will hereinafter ap ear.

rranged on the inner side of the top and having a close sliding engagement therewith is a valve plate 5, said plate being curved to correspond with the curvature of the top to permit the plate to snugly fit against the inner side of the top. In the valve plate 5 is formed a series of perforations 6 which are so arranged as to be brought into and out of alinement with the perforations in the top when the valve plate is shifted back and forth across the inner side of the top. On the outer side of the valve plate is formed an upwardly projecting operating lug 7, which extends through the slot 4 and projects a slight distance above the upper surface of the top, as shown. The lug 7 is of less length than the slot 4 thus permitting the lug and the valve plate to have a limited reciprocating movement to bring the perforations in the valve plate into and out of alinement with the perforations in the top, thus opening and closing the perforations 3 in said top. It will be noted that the slot 4 as well as the lug 7 is of rectangular oblong shape and that the sides of the lug snugly fit the side edges of a .we provide a spring fastening or holding member 8 which may be in the form of a spring wire rod or in the form of a flat spring metal strip, as shown in the drawings. The spring holding member 8 is of slightly greater length than the inside diameter of the top and said member is adapted to be sprung into engagement with the inner side of the valve plate and to have its opposite ends in engagement with the inner walls of the flange 2 of the top. The frictional engagement between the ends of the spring member and the inner walls of the flange when the member has been sprung into place is sufiicient to retain the member 8 in place and the valve plate in operative engagement with the inner side of the top. The tension or pressure of the spring holding member 8 when arranged as described is sufficient to hold the valve plate in its open or closed position, said member thus serving the two-fold purpose of holding the valve plate in place and providing a tension device for holding the valve plate in its adj usted position.

Particular attention is invited to the simple and inexpensive construction of this top and its valve mechanism, the entire device consisting of but three parts, to wit: the cover, the valve and the spring valve holding member. Attention is also invited to the readiness and ease with which the parts of the device are assembled, said parts being held in operative position without the use of solder or any other separate fastening means.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A container top having formed therein a series of discharge apertures or perforations, an apertured or perforated valve plate to slidably engage with the inner side of the top, and a retaining member sprung into the cover in engagement with said valve plate and adapted to hold the same in place in its open or closed position.

2. A container top having formed therein a series of perforations, a perforated valve plate arranged in said top and having a sliding engagement with the inner side of the same to bring the perforations in said valve plate into and out of alinement with the perforations in the top, a spring holding member adapted to be sprung into engagement with the top and to hold said valve plate in place and also in its open or closed position, and means whereby said valve plate is shifted to an open or closed position from the outside of the top.

3. A container top having formed therein a series of discharge apertures, an apertured valve plate arranged in said top and slidshifted to an open or closed position.

4. A container top having formed therein a series of discharge apertures, an apertured valve plate having a sliding engagement with the inner side of said top to open and close the perforations therein, an operating lug arranged on said valve plate and projecting through said top whereby the plate is moved to an open or closed position, a spring metal clamping strip having its ends frictionally engaged with said top andadapted to be sprung into engagement with the valve plate to hold the latter in place.

5. A container top having an outwardly curved or rounded perforated portion and having formed therein a centrally disposed rectangular oblong slot, an annular. container engaging flange formed on the outer edge of said top, a perforated valve plate adapted to snugly fit the inner side of the container top, a rectangular lug formed on said plate and adapted to engage the rectangular slot in said top and to project therethrough to provide means for shifting said valve plate to an open or closed position, a spring clamping member having its ends secured by frictional engagement with the container engaging flange of the top and adapted to be sprung into engagement with the valve plate to hold the latter in place and also in its opened or closed position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN BAKER WILLIAMSON. ALFRED VIOLET OLDHAM.

Witnesses:

HUGH Woons, JOHN P. RossrELD. 

